


Keep It Going

by AppleDog44478



Series: When You Think You're In Love With Your Sport, but It's Actually The Person You Play The Sport With [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!, 風が強く吹いている | Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru | Run with the Wind (Anime)
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, This is a series, fluff bro, haiji always injured, kagehina will be a bit present, not sure how big the age gap between kageyama and kakeru is, running shit, same universe as haikyuu, slowish burn kinda?, takes place during end of show and onward
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22581778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleDog44478/pseuds/AppleDog44478
Summary: Kakeru realizes he might be in love with Haiji after running at the Hakone Ekiden.Awkward but cute moments ensue and Kakeru is a blushing mess throughout every ordeal with Haiji.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kiyose Haiji/Kurahara Kakeru, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: When You Think You're In Love With Your Sport, but It's Actually The Person You Play The Sport With [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624918
Comments: 11
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I finally decided to write this thing. I finished the show weeks ago and couldn't find many long fanfics for these two, so I'm gonna make this a nice little story that's actually gonna be a series with a kagehina fic attached cause I ship them as well. Enjoy! This is my first time actually planning out and taking my time to write so let's hope I stick with this. (Also I'm a runner so sorry if i accidently ramble on a bit in running scenes, which won't be too many I think!)

“Do you like running?”

Kakeru’s first thought was how someone was keeping up with him. Then he noticed the guy was biking next to him while shouting that. Honestly, Kakeru was at a loss for words at how ridiculous this guy was being. Chasing a complete stranger on a bike who had just stolen something, though Kakeru wasn’t sure he knew about that. What did he even want?

~

Turns out that Haiji, the guy’s name, didn’t know about Kakeru stealing and apparently chased him down because of his running. Kakeru didn’t get it, he was just running, nothing special about it, it’s not like he enjoys it anymore. Haiji soon finds out Kakeru thinks that way, but that doesn’t stop his persistent advances in getting Kakeru to run with him. Kakeru didn’t get why Haiji wanted him to run, run what exactly? 

He found out soon enough when Haiji took him to his college house and it had eight other guys in it, ten in total with Haiji and Kakeru, what Haiji was trying to do. He was trying to make everyone participate in the Hakone Ekiden, a long distance relay where only the elite college teams ran. It was simply impossible, only about one other guy besides Haiji had run before and it was in high school. There was no way this weird group of people living here would actually follow Haiji and run, right?

~

It worked. Eventually everyone was running, even if everyone didn’t enjoy it. Kakeru still doesn’t really understand how Haiji got them all to run, honestly who wakes up and just decides to run and work hard for months even though they’ve never done it before. He didn’t think they would last long at all. 

~

He was wrong, he admits it. Kakeru didn’t think everyone was trying their best and he gave up on them too soon. He was angry at first, Haiji didn’t put him in the track meet and Kakeru didn’t know what to do.  _ How can I go to a meet and not participate _ ?  _ What does Haiji gain for not running me _ ? 

All the questions he had before had answers now. Watching people run was probably Kakeru’s new favorite thing. When you work hard with these people and then watch them compete and put their training into effect, it’s an amazing experience and it made Kakeru feel proud in a way. These are his teammates, and he wants to run with them at the Hakone Ekiden. 

~

Everything was going so well, everyone ran qualifying times and they made it to the Hakone Ekiden. The team should be happy and celebrating at this point, right? That’s why Kakeru’s confused at everyones glum expressions. 

When they arrive back at the house, everyone goes to their separate rooms and Haiji calls out, “Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes!” Kakeru follows Haiji into the kitchen to help with dinner per usual. 

It’s a long silence of Haiji and Kakeru simply getting dinner ready, except Kakeru is wondering why Haiji is ok with everything. After all, it seemed as though the twins were mad at him for not explaining why they were trying to get to the Hakone Ekiden. Haiji didn’t give anyone a clear answer and just let the twins ask questions and be angry. To be honest Kakeru was curious, what did Haiji want from all this?

“Haiji-san.” 

“Hm?” Haiji continued chopping vegetables. 

“What are we doing?” 

Haiji stops what he’s doing and looks over at Kakeru. 

“Now, how should I respond to such a vague question? I could say we’re currently making dinner, but for some reason I don’t think that’s the response you want.” He says with a soft smile. 

Kakeru stops what he was doing as well and takes a second to mull over his thoughts. What did he want to ask Haiji so it would make sense?  _ Why are the twins mad? Why  _ are  _ we running at Hakone if we aren’t there to win? What is everyone supposed to do now that we don’t have a set goal?  _

“Running.” Kakeru says flatly. So much for intricate thoughts. Luckily for Kakeru, Haiji understands what he’s trying to say. 

“Are you still wondering why you yourself are running, Kakeru? Or are you worried for the team as well?”

“I...still don’t exactly know what’s motivating me at this point, I could say the team since they’re obviously a big reason for why I’m enjoying running again, but I think everyone else is still wondering what they can do at Hakone. I...I think they’re scared of the competition, we barely just made it there as it is…” Kakeru finished his thoughts and avoided Haiji’s gaze. 

There was a long silence and Kakeru felt uncomfortable. He glanced at Haiji, who seemed in deep thought. 

“That’s good Kakeru, I'm glad you’re enjoying running again, since that was my goal in the first place.” Haiji mumbled the last bit and Kakeru didn’t quite catch it, but Haiji was moving on, “You’re also right about the others. They need a goal to grasp onto, since we have accomplished our first one of making it to Hakone. The problem is this time I can’t give everyone the same goal, I think they all need to find their own, like you have.” Kakeru stared at Haiji, knowing what he said was right, but he should also bring this up with everyone else in the room as well. 

Kakeru is still thinking of what Haiji said and there’s one point he still doesn’t understand in all this. 

“What about you Haiji-san?” Haiji chuckled and looked at Kakeru again. 

“What about me, Kakeru.” Kakeru frowned at that and Haiji laughed. “Yes, yes I know what you mean, it’s fun to mess with you sometimes Kakeru.” Kakeru’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and then realized Haiji was getting off track. 

“So, why are you running at Hakone? Why have you been so adamant about running it all this time?” Kakeru asked more directly. Haiji’s smile faded a bit and he went back to making dinner and answered quietly, 

“That’s a long story for another time.” Kakeru could see Haiji didn’t wanna say anything else so he continued making dinner as well. Kakeru could only guess that there was obviously something that happened to Haiji in his past with running and it probably related to his knee injury. 

_ I wonder when all of this started for Haiji-san.  _

~

They were doing it. Running at Hakone. 

Kakeru never felt more proud in his life to watch his teammates,  _ his teammates,  _ run with all they had, giving it their all, just to pass on the sash. Soon King would pass it on to him and Kakeru never felt more nervous and excited to run before. The phone call he had with Haiji helped him with his doubts. Kakeru kept on hearing the words Haiji had just spoken to him repeatedly in his head. 

_ “To me, you are the greatest runner.”  _

Kakeru couldn’t stop thinking about it, it awoken something within him, something that's probably been there for a while. He  _ will _ get stronger, run stronger than he ever has, for Haiji, for everyone. 

~

Kakeru didn’t know when he started running, but he couldn’t stop. 

_ “What does it feel like to fall in love?”  _

Kakeru had asked Joji right before he got the sash. 

_ Am I in love? Is that what this feeling is? _

He told Joji that he was in love, with what though? Running? Kakeru’s always known he loved running, ever since he started years ago he hasn’t been able to stop. This feeling is a different kind of love though, he can feel it, stronger than it’s ever been, and it’s pushing him forward. 

Kakeru feels like he’s running on clouds, like his feet barely graze the ground before he bounds back up and is striding out faster than before. This feeling of wanting to run forever is amazing and Kakeru can’t remember the last time he felt this way. 

He wants to go  _ faster.  _

So he does. 

He pushes himself more and more. This distance isn’t enough, he needs to keep moving. 

Before he knows it, Kakeru can see Haiji waving for him to pass off the sash. At that moment Kakeru remembers, as much as he wants to keep going, this is for everyone, it’s a team race, and he needs to deliver the sash to Haiji. 

No words are spoken between them in the exchange, their eyes meet and Haiji gives Kakeru a soft smile before he takes off. Kakeru trusts him completely. 

~

Kakeru doesn’t fully register that he broke the section record, just eleven minutes after Fujioka, all he wants is to run, keep running till he gets to the finish line to watch Haiji run in. He urges Prince along while pulling on his jacket, his blood still pumping with adrenaline, keeping him full of energy even though he just ran out of his mind. 

_ “Why do you run, Kakeru?”  _

Kakeru knew the answer. 

It’s been staring him in the face for months, and he only just realized it in the last couple of hours. 

He needed to get to the finish line as fast as he could. 

~

Right as Kakeru saw Haiji turn the corner he ran towards the front, waving his arms and shouting his name. They were going to do it, they were going to place in the top ten and earn a seeded spot for next year. Kakeru couldn’t keep the smile off his face. 

He kept his eyes on Haiji the whole time, seeing how happy he looked to be doing the sport he loved the most. Kakeru stopped short while looking at Haiji running towards him. 

_ You asked me once what running is. _

Kakeru couldn’t keep his eyes off Haiji, running towards him. 

_ You said you wanted to know what it is.  _

Haiji looked a little in pain, and Kakeru couldn’t tell if it was from the strong gusts of wind pushing him back or his knee giving out on him. 

_ The answer is you.  _

No matter what though, Haiji kept pushing forward, towards Kakeru, giving all he had to finish. 

_ It’s you.  _

There it was. That feeling again. 

Kakeru couldn’t take his eyes off Haiji. He crossed the finish line and Kakeru went to catch him. Kakeru didn’t know what to say, they did it, everyone worked so hard for this moment. 

_ We did it.  _

_ Everyone did it- _

Kakeru was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot about Haiji’s leg until he looked down to see it shaking violently. Kakeru was going to mention it, scold him for running on his injury, tell him to go see the doctor immediately, but he looked at Haiji again and saw how content and happy he was. 

Kakeru told himself he'd comment on it later and helped walk Haiji towards the team. 

~ 

When Kakeru went to bed that night, he was finally off his runners high and got some time to collect his thoughts from all that happened today. His phone call with Haiji, running the section record, passing the sash to Haiji and finding the answer to his running these past months. 

_ It all comes back to Haiji, but why?  _

Kakeru tried to recall what happened to make it all circle back to Haiji, and he remembered what he told Joji before his race. He said he was in love, the feeling is definitely love, but it’s different from his love for running he’s had all his life. He laid in his bed with his eyes wide open. 

_ Am I in love with Haiji?  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakeru and Haiji have a talk about Haiji's knee. Haiji has not moved away after he graduates and Kakeru can't hide his emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm just glad I'm getting this in right about a little less then a month. I've honestly had it written out for like two weeks but then I had to type it and proofread and that shit takes forever but here it is! It's also like over 3000 words and I was typing fluff scenes in my english class.

When Kakeru wakes up the next morning, he can’t find Haiji anywhere. While searching the house he runs into Nico in the kitchen. 

“Where’s Haijii?” He immediately asks. Nico looks taken aback by the sudden question. He has a hot cup of coffee in his hand and looks like he’s just woken up as well. Kakeru is staring at him, waiting for an answer. 

“Oh, Haiji didn’t tell you? He left early for the hospital this morning.” Kakeru’s eyes widened and he ran upstairs to grab his coat and shoes then sprinted out the door. Nico looked on as he left and wondered if he should have told him. 

“Well, he would’ve found out eventually.” 

~

Kakeru sprinted to the hospital while a million thoughts ran through his head. 

_ How could I have forgotten about Haiji’s knee? How serious is it? Will he be able to run again?  _

Kakeru almost came to a full stop at his last thought. That thought scared him. Haiji loved running, he’s the reason Kakeru enjoys it again, he can’t just be done. 

Kakeru finally arrived at the hospital and rushed in. He ran up to the receptionist counter, a bit out of breath. 

“Kiyose Haiji.” 

That was all Kakeru said. The nurse simply looked at him then checked the list of names. 

“He is currently in the middle of an appointment. If you wish to see him you can go to the waiting area until his appointment is done.” Kakeru nodded and went to go sit on one of the couches. He started to get more and more nervous as more time passed. About an hour later, Kakeru sees Haiji walk out into the lobby. He immediately stands up and rushes towards him. 

“Kakeru?” Haiji looks a bit surprised at first, but then his expression shifts to how it normally looks, like everything is perfectly fine. “I’m guessing Yuki or Nico informed you of my trip to the hospital. Now, I knew you’d be pretty worried so I thought I’d wait to tell you until I knew the results.” 

Kakeru was completely disregarding what Haiji was saying as he walked up to him. He was too troubled and afraid of what he was saying or was going to say. Haiji saw Kakeru’s expression and reached out to him while taking a step forward on his bad leg. He grimaced and Kakeru grabbed at his arm, supporting him. 

“I noticed you're limping,” Kakeru says bluntly. 

“Ah, you caught me!” Haiji chuckled. “I should’ve known I wouldn’t get away from you. Though I was hoping to make it farther than this.” Kakeru scowls. 

“Don’t make that face! You’re gonna make me feel bad. Like I was saying earlier, I just wanted to keep from worrying you.”

Kakeru sighs, “I know.” Haiji grins wider and pats him on the back. 

“Good! Now let’s head back to Chikoseisou and I'll tell you everything.”

~

“I think it’s funny how we haven’t even known each other a year and yet here you are, dotting over me like my mother.”

_ Haiji just doesn’t shut up sometimes.  _ Kakeru scowls and retorts, 

“Well, maybe if someone looked after himself for a change.” Haiji stayed silent after that, and Kakeru looked over at him. He seemed to be thinking about something, as his eyebrows and face were a bit scrunched. 

They entered the house silently and didn’t run into anyone as they walked up to Haiji’s room. Kakeru set Haiji on the bed and stood in front of him. 

Haiji took a deep breath in and out.

“Well, first off I can start with my appointment today about my knee.” As he said that his hand rested on it. “There has to be something done about it since, as you saw after the race, I pushed past my limits.” He gave a weak smile. “My first questions were of course if I could keep on running or not.” Kakeru sucked in a breath, not sure if he wanted to hear what the doctors told Haiji. Nonetheless, Haiji continued, 

“They told me surgery was about the only option I had if I wanted to ever run again, so I immediately set up a date for that after graduation. The only thing is, that’s all they can do.” Haiji took a long pause and Kakeru was confused. 

“What does that mean?” He said quietly. There was another long silence after Kakeru asked his question, and he was thinking of leaving Haiji be. He started to turn around when Haiji grabbed his hand. A small blush formed on Kakeru’s cheeks but he didn’t pull his hand away. 

“It means that the surgery doesn’t just fix everything. I’ve already had it once, and now I’ve gone and messed up my knee again.” Haiji chuckled dryly. “The point is everything after the surgery is what determines if I’m gonna be able to run ever again. Regardless of that, I think it might be a few years before I can probably go out for a run.” 

Kakeru couldn’t handle what Haiji was saying.

_ Years without running? There’s also a possibility he might never run again.  _ Deep down Kakeru knew that there was no great solution to this problem, he was holding onto a sliver of hope that the surgery could fix everything, but that's not the case. 

_ Stupid Haiji! He had to have known the risks of running at Hakone, so why?  _

Kakeru opened his mouth to say something but Haiji beat him to it.

“I can guess what you’re thinking, especially with that frustrated look.” Haiji locked his gaze onto Kakeru’s and his eyes were different than before. He didn’t have that sad look in his eyes, it looked as though he were determined about something. 

“Kakeru.” Haiji had that intense look in his eyes and he couldn’t look away. “I knew what I was doing. Ever since freshman year when I started gathering people one by one into Chikoseisou, I knew that I wanted to run the Hakone Ekiden. When you came in and filled the tenth spot, I was filled with hope and determination. My knee didn’t matter, I knew I had enough strength to run with this team till the end, and it paid off. We got a seeded spot for next year, you even broke the ninth section record! This-” he pointed to his right knee, “-was worth every minute I spent with you.” 

Kakeru’s eyes widened a bit, taking in Haiji’s words. 

That feeling came back to him and Kakeru sucked in a breath. His heart was pounding and his chest was tightening up. Kakeru pulled his hand away to cover his burning cheeks. 

“U-uh, thanks.” He responded lamely. Honestly, he didn’t even know if that was the right response. Haiji chuckled,

“Do you not like holding my hand that much Kakeru?” 

Kakeru froze and his mouth fell open. He stood there gaping at Haiji. 

_ What the hell does he mean by that?  _ Kakeru’s heart was pounding faster now and he didn’t think he could talk without stuttering. 

Haiji’s laughing ceased and even though he still had a small smile on his face, his expression was sadder. “Sorry…” He started to say then hesitated and broke off. Kakeru could tell he was trying to say something serious and the first thing he could think of was getting closer. He stepped forward and knelt in front of Haiji. 

“I was kinda being serious.” His voice was close to a whisper. “Could you hold my hand just for a bit longer? As long as you’re not uncomfortable with it.” Kakeru stared at Haiji’s hand and gave a little smile.

“Of course.” He responded as he gently grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together. Haiji seemed to relax a bit more and squeezed Kakeru’s hand tighter. They sat in comfortable silence for a while and Kakeru suppressed those weird feelings that kept appearing. This was a moment for Haiji to relax and not worry about anything for just a bit, and Kakeru was going to give it to him. 

_ He’s done so much for everyone, and yet he might never run again.  _

The silence was interrupted by Haiji taking a deep breath in and then speaking, 

“I was serious about it before.” He was staring at their hands and still had that sad expression on his face. “I’m so proud of everyone, of you. You guys made my dream come true.” Haiji’s voice started to crack and he made eye contact with Kakeru. 

Tears were starting to form in his eyes.

“I’m grateful,  _ so _ grateful, but I hope you’ll allow me to be disappointed as well. I-I think it was worth it, I’m happy we made it, but that doesn’t mean that I wanted this to be the end.” Tears were streaming down Haiji’s face now and Kakeru didn't know what to do. He was still soaking in Haiji’s words. 

At this point, he was glad he stayed. If he would’ve left earlier Haiji wouldn’t have had someone to confide in now, and he would go on telling everyone he was  _ ok _ and that it was  _ worth it _ when in reality Haiji was conflicted. He knew he had to run, but the price he paid was maybe a bit more than he wanted. 

Kakeru was overwhelmed by his and Haiji’s emotions, and in a spur of the moment, he landed a soft kiss on Haiji’s scarred knee. 

Haiji gasped shortly in the middle of his crying at the touch of Kakeru’s lips. He seemed to relax a bit at the touch, but his tears continued flowing. Kakeru stood up, not releasing Haiji’s hand, and sat next to him on the bed. He grabbed Haiji’s shoulder and pulled him into a hug, letting him cry silently into his chest. 

~

Kakeru never mentioned what happened the other night to anyone. That also means Haiji and he never talked about it either. Haiji still treated him the same and everything was back to how it normally was. 

Haiji did seem to look a bit more relaxed and at ease though, and Kakeru was glad that he stayed that night. 

Finals came up soon and everyone became busy. Of course, after the finals graduation came up. Haiji and the other fourth years were going to leave soon. Kakeru was happy for them to get on with their lives, but he didn’t know what he’d do once Haiji left. 

They were currently having a farewell party at Chikoseisou and it would probably be the last time they all gathered like this, drinking without a care in the world. 

Kakeru stared at Haiji, who was on his fifth or sixth drink, someone saves him, and his cheeks were very red. He was drunk and Kakeru smiled at how ridiculous he was acting. 

_ What was he going to do without him? _

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

It was July and it was  _ hot.  _ Kakeru didn’t even feel like going out for a run if he couldn’t even walk in this heat, but then again he didn’t wanna study for any of his finals. 

He was currently splayed out on his bed, unable to move. He heard a few taps on his door, followed by a voice, 

“Oi Kakeru, it’s your turn to make dinner tonight.” Kakeru could tell it was one of the freshmen--Azumayne?--who was at his door. 

“Yup,” Kakeru responded with a yawn. 

He was dead tired and didn’t feel too much guilt when he pulled out his phone to give Haiji a call. 

“Ah! Kakeru! Don’t worry I’m already on my way.”

“Huh…?” Kakeru responded lamely. 

“Jota called me earlier when you got home and told me that you needed some help with dinner tonight. His exact words were ‘Kakeru looks like death and needs help, specifically yours.’” Kakeru’s eyes widened and he just gaped, not knowing how to respond. Haiji kept on talking,

“I feel honored. The number one runner in the nation asking me for help.” He chuckled and Kakeru got his voice back hearing Haiji making a joke of it. 

“I wasn’t…” Kakeru trailed off, realizing he did call Haiji for help and couldn’t argue with him. 

“Mhm, that’s what I thought, I’ll be over in a few minutes.” With that Haiji hung up and Kakeru was just standing in his room frozen. 

This whole scenario has only happened a few times cause Kakeru didn’t like to bother Haiji, but with him living close by, it was inevitable he would stop by. Of course, this means that Kakeru has gone to visit Haiji a few times at his apartment, especially with him being the new captain, sometimes Kakeru wasn’t sure what to do. 

Well, the whole problem with this situation is that Haiji won’t leave him alone. Ever since he figured out he has a crush on Haiji, it seems like Haiji is everywhere even though he graduated. He comes to almost all of Kakeru’s meets and usually checks up on him and the team. 

_ I just need to keep on acting how I did before I found out. That’s easy.  _

~

Kakeru’s little pep talk went out the door when he saw Haiji in the kitchen with the apron on. A blush crept up onto his cheeks and he turned his head away.

_ Great, now I’m getting flustered over the sight of him? _

“Ah, Kakeru, you’re just in time.” Kakeru turned back around to face Haiji who was smiling at him. He pointed to a cutting board with vegetables on it, “I’m here to help you, not do all the work.” 

Kakeru tried to keep a blank face and walked over, then started to chop the vegetables. 

“Wow, you haven’t seen me in a few weeks and don’t even ask me how I’m doing? Are you this disrespectful to all your upperclassmen?” Kakeru was thankful Haiji said something and it relieved some tension in him to take a deep breath out. 

“Hm? Upperclassman? Last I checked you graduated and therefore I have no reason to truly acknowledge you.” Kakeru turned and gave a small smile. Haiji faked a gasp,

“After all I’ve done for you. All that advice! Guess I just won’t help you with dinner then.” Now it was Haiji’s turn to smirk and Kakeru frowned. He was so damn tired right now and honestly couldn’t think.

“I know where you live Haiji.” 

“Kakeru I’m literally standing in your house right now.” Haiji let out a laugh after that sentence and Kakeru chuckled quietly under his breath. Haiji’s laugh ran throughout the kitchen and Kakeru never heard anything so beautiful. 

_ What the actual heck was that thought.  _ Kakeru shook his head and Haiji’s laughter died down and they got back to making dinner. 

How was he gonna get through this night? 

~

The dinner Haiji and Kakeru made was great and now everyone was gathered in the lounging area, drinking. At least those who were allowed to, and that did not include Jota and Joji, but they were already downing their second can by the time Kakeru noticed. 

Kakeru had tried alcohol before, but it just didn’t sit well afterward. Haiji was already drunk, which was no surprise to Kakeru. 

Everyone was laughing, complaining about exams or praising that it was finally the weekend. Kakeru smiled lightly, knowing they were all forgetting about their early long run tomorrow. He knew they’d be reminded when he came to their rooms at the crack of dawn. Kakeru chuckled a bit to himself. 

_ The twins are gonna be a pain tomorrow.  _

Kakeru suddenly felt an arm wrap around his waist and sucked in a breath. Kakeru turned his head and realized immediately that it was a mistake. Haiji’s face was right in front of his, flushed red due to the alcohol. Kakeru was frozen, but his cheeks-no, his whole body was heating up. That place where Haiji’s hand was on his back felt like it was on fire. 

Kakeru started to panic even more when Haiji leaned in. Kakeru squeezed his eyes shut until he felt a warm breath on his ear, then Haiji was speaking lowly,

“What’re you laughing about?” Kakeru was such a mess right now and could barely comprehend the question Haiji just asked. 

“U-uh, um-” Before Kakeru could finish whatever he was about to say, one of the twins interrupted,

“Seriously Kakeru could you not flirt with Haiji in front of everyone.” Kakeru just about died when everyone turned their heads and saw what kind of position they were in. 

“H-he’s drunk!” Kakeru sputtered and was waving his hands frantically while Haiji clung onto him tighter and  _ he was so fucking dead holy shit.  _

The twins started laughing their asses off while some of the newcomers awkwardly joined in. Everyone was aware of how close Haiji and Kakeru are, Kakeru’s always going over to his apartment for help about the team and to update how college is going. The twins are always smirking whenever Kakeru leaves to go. 

Kakeru tried and failed to pry Haiji off of him and sighed loudly. 

“I’m gonna take him upstairs, there’s no way he’s going home tonight,” Kakeru announced, not caring if anyone heard him and wrapped an arm around Haiji, which wasn’t so difficult since he was already clinging to him. Making it up the stairs was a chore, since Haiji was a bit of dead weight and could barely carry himself. 

Kakeru finally made it to his room and set Haiji on the bed, which was a really bad idea actually because he forgot about Haiji’s arm secured tightly around his waist. With that, Haiji fell back on the bed with Kakeru landing on top of him. 

Kakeru was full-on burning from head to toe and tried feebly to get up, but Haiji was not letting go at all. He kept Kakeru hugged tightly against him and whispered into his ear,

“Stop moving…” Kakeru immediately froze and stayed tucked up against Haiji, his face in his chest while Haiji moved his head to rest on his. Soon, Kakeru heard his breathing getting slower and deeper. 

_ He’s asleep.  _

He debated trying to move but Haiji’s words were repeating over and over and Kakeru didn’t want to risk waking him. He was also tired and didn’t truly feel like trying to struggle out of his grip, and it was nice and warm, wrapped up in Haiji’s arms…


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakeru invites Haiji to Kageyama's for a week during summer break. 
> 
> Except it's only Tobio there since Kakeru basically has to babysit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way too long, but quarantine has given me time to finally finish it! Kageyama and Hinata make their appearance in this chapter!!

Kakeru woke up warm and in someone’s arms. His eyes fluttered open and he was faced with someone else’s chest. He almost flinched away, but then realized he didn’t wanna wake up whoever was in his bed. 

Kakeru lifted his head a bit and saw Haiji’s face. 

_ Oh shit oh shit OH SHIT.  _

He started to panic and got out of the tangle of arms and legs quickly without disturbing him. Kakeru quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt and quietly slipped out of his room. He went downstairs, put his running shoes on and left. 

One thought plagued Kakeru’s mind as he started going down the streets. 

_ I like Hajii.  _

Kakeru thought of Haiji’s warm arms around him this morning and how relieved he made Kakeru feel when he saw him. 

_ No, I’m probably in love with him.  _

Kakeru didn’t even realize how fast he was moving until he saw the lake. He stopped to catch his breath and recalled his first run with the old team. Kakeru had sprinted ahead and Haiji stayed back to run (walk) with Prince. So much has changed since then, and Kakeru smiled softly at the memories of last year. 

He felt more at ease now that he got going for a run. 

_ Hopefully I can just act how I always do and Haiji won’t notice at all.  _

Kakeru kept on running for another hour or so, letting his worries disappear as he ran. The sun was up when he returned to Aotake and a few freshmen were up and stretching outside for their morning run. It was easy for them since they didn’t have a massive hangover unlike two twins Kakeru was gonna have to get outside. 

Kakeru sighed and greeted the freshmen as he passed them to go in,

“I’m going to get the twins, make sure everyone else is out here and ready in ten minutes.” 

The freshmen nodded and Kakeru went to Joji and Jota’s room. 

They were both snoring away, completely oblivious to Kakeru’s presence. 

Kakeru moved forward and grabbed the pillow from underneath Jota’s head, yanking it out from under him, then used said pillow to smack Joji on the head. Jota fluttered his eyes open, muttering about his head while Joji shot up, then immediately regretted it. 

“Dude! Kakeru, why’d you have to hit me on the head!” He was rubbing his forehead and pouting like a baby. Kakeru smirked, not feeling sorry at all.

“Saturday morning long run in ten minutes.” He left and shut the door, hearing the twins groaning on his way out. 

_ Alright, one more problem to deal with. _

Kakeru sucked in a breath and walked towards his room and opened the door. 

Haiji was still fast asleep on Kakeru’s bed and he couldn’t help but stare. His hair was a mess and a bit of droll was coming from the corner of his mouth and  _ why is that so cute.  _ Kakeru took a deep breath in and out trying to control his emotions,  _ though it is difficult when the guy you like is sleeping on your bed.  _

Kakeru approached him and shook his shoulder gently. 

“Um, Haiji.” Haiji responded by rolling over and grumbling. Kakeru tried shaking him again but he kept sleeping. 

“Oh, ok, I was gonna try being nice but you asked for it.” With that Kakeru did the same to Haiji as he did with Joji and Jota. He ripped the pillow away from Haiji and whacked it on his head. 

Finally, Haiji started to open his eyes. He stared up at Kakeru with the pillow in his hands,

“I drank too much…” He tried closing his eyes again but Kakeru hit him with the pillow again and he yelped. Why is everything Haiji’s doing this morning cute? Kakeru shook his head to try and get rid of the blush forming on his cheeks. 

Haiji sat up and put his feet on the floor, rubbing his head. He then locked eyes with Kakeru and Kakeru felt like he was on fire under Haiji’s stare. 

“We sure are violent this morning.” Kakeru snapped back into reality after hearing that comment and glared at Haiji. 

“Well, if someone wouldn’t have drunk their ass off last night and taken over my bed maybe I would’ve made a better effort to be nicer.” 

Haiji grinned and slowly stood up.

“Think of it as payment for helping you with dinner.” He walked over and patted Kakeru on the shoulder. He then paused and looked at Kakeru more closely, then sighed and walked out of his room. 

“I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise you already went for a run.” 

Kakeru chuckled and followed Haiji out. 

~

Finals were finally over and summer break was finally here. 

Kakeru finished with his run for the day and went up to his room. His phone started buzzing and he looked at who was calling. He gapped at his phone. He honestly wasn’t sure when they got each other numbers since they haven’t seen each other in years. 

His phone screen displayed his cousin’s name and a picture of her when she was younger. 

_ Miwa never calls.  _

He answered the phone, extremely confused. 

“Hey Kakeru, sorry to just randomly call out of nowhere.” Kakeru was still in a bit of shock at hearing his cousin and didn’t reply right away. “Uh...Kakeru?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry Miwa, just haven’t heard from you guys in a while.” 

Kakeru almost never hears from his cousins, the Kageyamas. Their family’s aren’t that close to begin with, since their parents are busy and they never have family gatherings with that side. 

“Sorry I never call, I’ve been busy with university the last couple years and honestly don’t even go home much.”

“It’s ok, I haven’t tried to contact you guys either, and now I’m not living with my parents anymore so I haven’t seen any family in a while.”

“Ah, I see. Speaking of which, you know summer break is here and uh, I feel bad because I can’t go home again. I have a job near my university and I only get Christmas break off.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, kinda bites. But that’s why I called you, I really couldn’t think of anyone else.”

“Hm? What do you need me for?”

“Well, before I ask, are you free during the break?” Kakeru thought for a second about anything he had to do. He obviously has training, but a lot of the team is probably going away for break and are gonna be working out on their own this time. 

“Yeah I’m not doing anything.”

“Ah well, you know my parents work a lot and this summer they're both going on a business trip, leaving Tobio all alone.” Kakeru tried to remember the last time he saw Tobio. 

_ I think he was a baby last time I saw him.  _

“Now, not that I don’t trust him, but I don’t believe Tobio can take care of himself for more than a day. He’s never been alone this long. I think having you there would be good for him, he has a passion for volleyball you know, like your running. He even saw you and your team run the Hakone Ekiden.” Kakeru thought about what Miwa was saying and his eyes widened. 

“Wait, you want me to stay all summer!?”

“Oh! No no no, sorry I thought I already mentioned the camp. It’d only be for a week to ten days, then Tobio is going to a summer volleyball training camp.” Kakeru took a deep breath out.

“Goodness Kakeru I wasn’t gonna try and take your summer from you!” Miwa started laughing on the other end and he smiled. 

“Should’ve known that, well in that case I can stay with him for a week.” 

“Good! You know how to cook right Kakeru?” He hesitated. He knew  _ how  _ to cook, he just wasn’t sure if it was the best. Kakeru cooked with Haiji all the time, but it was because Haiji helped that he was able to make a decent meal. 

“Well, I’m not the best and can only make a decent meal when my friend helps me.”

“Ok then bring your friend, having anyone besides just Tobio in that house is fine by me.” 

“Ah...alright.”

“I’ll inform Tobio and his parents, thanks again Kakeru.”

Kakeru ended the call and then realized what he did. 

_ Did I just invite Haiji to my cousin’s house? _

~

Kakeru spent a whole day worrying about how to approach Haiji and ask him to come to his cousins. Who even asks that? 

He didn’t really realize what he was saying and before he knew it Miwa was telling him to bring his cooking friend to his cousin’s. 

Miwa had said that Tobio admired him and he watched the Ekiden. 

_ That means he must have watched Haiji run as well.  _

Kakeru smiled softly, remembering Haiji turning the corner and running right towards him into his arms. 

His phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

_ I think this is the most times people have called me.  _

He checked the caller I.D.

It was Haiji. Kakeru answered the phone, thinking this was the perfect time to ask him. 

“Hey Kakeru! You sure picked up fast.”

_ Whoops.  _ Kakeru did not think this through. He still hadn’t thought of a way to explain and convince Haiji to come spend break with him. 

“Uh yeah, I’m not really doing anything right now since the term is over.” 

“Oh! Good, I was gonna ask if you were busy actually.” Kakeru didn’t respond right away, thinking of all the reasons Haiji could be asking if he was free. Thankfully Haiji was a talker and continued,

“Wanna come over to my place and have dinner? We can discuss workouts to give people over break if they’re leaving.”

“Um yeah.” 

“Great! See you at seven?”

“Sounds good.” They ended the call and Kakeru face-palmed. He forgot to ask him about break. 

_ Oh wait, I’m seeing him tonight. _

He checked the time and realized it was already 5:30. He had time for a quick run and then he could get ready and go to Haiji’s. 

~

Kakeru rang the doorbell to Haiji’s apartment. He was extremely nervous. He’s been to Haiji’s place before, but this time he’s fully aware of his feelings. It’s just him and Haiji, in Haiji’s apartment, discussing running like usual. Kakeru took a deep breath in and out. 

He heard the door unlock and Haiji opened it.

“Hey Kakeru! Come in.” He walked in without saying anything and awkwardly stood in the doorway while Haiji closed the door. Haiji didn’t seem to notice anything too weird since Kakeru was normally silent. 

“You’re just in time, dinners ready.”

He walked in and Haiji served them. They had a casual conversation and Kakeru started to relax a little more. 

They moved to start cleaning up and Haiji started discussing what they were gonna do for running the next couple weeks.

“Now, some people are gonna be leaving pretty soon for break so I was thinking we could write up the workouts tonight, sounds good?” Kakeru was about to respond but then realized this was the perfect moment to bring up spending break with him. 

“Actually Haiji…” Haiji saw that Kakeru had stopped drying dishes and stopped as well. Kakeru’s eyebrows were furrowed as he thought of what to say. He was never good with words, which Haiji knew. He faced Kakeru, giving him all his attention and waiting patiently. 

“You see...My cousin called yesterday and she asked me if I could stay with her brother for a week or so since he would be alone.” He looked away from Haiji, too embarrassed to look at him as he started his next sentence. 

“Then she asked if I could cook and I said I wasn’t as good as you and then she told me to bring you over as well?” Kakeru still didn’t understand what happened with his and Miwa’s conversation yesterday. 

There was a long silence and Kakeru glanced at Haiji. 

He had his hand on his chin and looked deep in thought.

“Hmmm, are you asking me to spend break with you?” Kakeru just about turned into a tomato. Telling him the story was already embarrassing and then Haiji had to go and say that. 

“U-uh, yeah.” Kakeru stuttered out. 

Haiji’s face lit up again and he smiled wide.

“Well then, how could I say no? Of course I’ll come!” Kakeru let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and smiled. 

“Is that what you were so nervous about Kakeru?”

“Yeah, I just wasn’t sure how you’d feel if I invited you to my cousins.”

“Come on Kakeru, I thought you knew me!” He started laughing again and they finished cleaning up the kitchen. 

“Now then,” Haiji said as they walked towards his room, “Let’s get those running schedules written up since we’re gonna be the ones leaving as well!” 

~

Kakeru had been to Miyagi Prefecture once when he was little. He was around five or six when he visited, Tobio was just a little baby, so he only really talked with Miwa. Good thing he’s bringing Haiji, him and Tobio have never had an actual conversation. 

“We’ll be there soon.” Haiji said. Kakeru looked out the car window and saw a town in the distance, but it was mostly fields. 

“I haven’t been to the countryside that much, there’ll be nice places to run.” Kakeru hummed in response.

They arrived at around 4:00 and Kakeru checked the address on his phone that Miwa gave him.

“This is it.” They started to grab their stuff from the van and headed towards the front door. 

“Oh, there’s a bike out front, I wonder if someone’s here besides Tobio.” Kakeru knew that if you had your own bike you’d park it by the side door or in the back, not right out front. 

_ Well whatever.  _ He rang the doorbell and the next thirty seconds was chaos. He heard a bunch of shouting inside and someone was running towards the door. It opened and instead of Tobio there was a short, energetic boy staring up at him. His eyes were literally sparkling and before he could say anything a hand appeared on his head and started pulling on his hair. 

The taller, dark-haired boy pushed him out of the way while muttering “dumbass” and- _ ah this was definitely Tobio.  _

“Sorry about him-” he pointed to the energetic boy who was now sitting on the floor. “He doesn’t know when to calm down.” 

“Kageyamaaa, you’re so mean. I just wanted to see your cousin.” Tobio turned to face him.

“Yeah and now you saw him so scram.” 

“You said I could stay for dinner.”

“Well, you were too loud and now I’m taking it back.” 

Kakeru just stood there watching the two boys bicker, having no idea what was going on. Was it a friend of Tobio’s? 

“Ah you must be Tobio.” Thankfully Haiji interrupted the pair and they turned to face him. They looked confused and apparently didn’t notice him before. 

“I’m Kiyose Haiji, a friend of Kakeru’s.” He smiled and held out his hand. They both stared at him until the short boy jumped up all the sudden and grabbed Haiji’s hand. 

“You ran in the Hakone Ekiden! You were on Kageyama’s cousin’s team! I’m Hinata Shoyo on the volleyball team with Kageyama!” Haiji’s grin widened. 

“Nice to meet you. You watched the Ekiden then?” 

“Yeah, running is totally different from volleyball!” 

“That’s because it’s a different sport dumbass.” Tobio glared at Hinata. 

“You can’t call me a dumbass in front of your cousin!” Tobio sighed and looked at Kakeru.

“Uh, hey.” It took Kakeru a moment to realize someone was talking to him.

“Oh uh yeah. Hey Tobio.”

“You both can come in.” Kakeru and Haiji walked in and followed Tobio. 

“Do you guys mind if you're sharing a room? We have Miwa’s that we use as the guest room now, and mom and dad told me their room wasn’t to be used.”

“Oh course! Kakeru and I used to live right across the hall from each other and our rooms were really small since we shared a house with eight other guys.” Kakeru just nodded and Tobio led them to Miwa’s old room. Hinata ran ahead, shouting about homework and turned into a different room. Kakeru thought he heard Tobio mutter “dumbass” and was thinking if he actually knew Hinata’s name. 

Tobio opened the door to Miwa’s room and they walked in, setting their stuff down. Tobio stood at the entrance awkwardly.

“Um, Miwa said you guys could cook? My parents bought a bunch of food to make.” Haiji turned around and smiled.

“Yup! We always cook for the team, it’ll be easy to feed just four of us.” Tobio nodded and walked away. 

Haiji turned to look at Kakeru and was still smiling widely. 

“What?” Kakeru asked.

“He reminds me of you. Especially when he was glaring and getting angry at Hinata.” He chuckled and Kakeru blushed. He does remember when he first met Haiji and the team, he was always angry and trying to go against Haiji’s dream. 

“Well, the energetic one who wouldn’t stop smiling reminded me of you.” Kakeru had meant it as a comeback but then realized how that sounded and his cheeks got more red. Haiji was laughing harder now.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He stood up and started walking towards the door.

“Let’s go make those two boys dinner!” 

~

Unsurprisingly, Haiji and Hinata talked the most during dinner. 

“So, you two are on the volleyball team?” Haiji asked while they started eating. They sat at the table with Kakeru and Haiji on one side and Hinata and Tobio on the other. 

“Yup!” Hinata replied enthusiastically. “Kageyama sets to me and I spike it like  _ WHOOSH.” _ Kakeru noticed that Tobio seemed really used to Hinata and was just nodding along with what he was saying while eating. 

“We lost to a really good school at the Interhigh Preliminaries, but now we’re going to the summer training camp soon to get stronger!” 

“Hm, summer training camps are fun.” Kakeru muttered unconsciously while chewing. Hinata as well as Tobio both perked up at what Kakeru had said. 

Kakeru looked up and realized they were expecting him to talk about it. 

“Uh, well Haiji dragged all of us to a house in the mountains that a friend of his lent us.”

“Oh Kakeru, don't use  _ dragged _ . You were all for it near the end of the trip.” Haiji bumped in the arm. 

“You didn’t want to run?” Tobio asked, speaking for the first time during dinner. Kakeru froze and thought about how he was supposed to respond to that. Thankfully Haiji spoke up.

“Let’s just say Kakeru was still hesitant about the team at that time. In the end he ran the Ekiden with us though!” 

“Oooooh, you have a section record right?” Hinata was back to bouncing around and Tobio looked deep in thought. He looked up and locked eyes with Kakeru, looking at him intensely. Haiji seemed to notice Tobio needed to talk to Kakeru and stood up. 

“Hinata wanna help clean up? I’ll answer as many questions you want.” Hinata responded by shouting a “yes” and started grabbing dishes off the counter. Before Haiji left he glanced at Kakeru and he nodded at him in thanks. Once they both left Kakeru took a deep breath. 

“You wanna know why I was reluctant to run?” Tobio nodded and Kakeru continued. 

“In high school I was the best runner. Nobody on my team could beat me, even on my off days. Coach was really hard on the rest of the team for not being as good as me, and I’m pretty sure everyone hated me for it.” Tobio had that glare set on his face and he looked angry. He didn’t say anything so Kakeru went on.

“One of my teammates was injured and the coach simply said it was the kids fault and he should keep running. I was so angry and fed up with my coach with everything he was doing and this drew the line. I punched him.” Kakeru paused and looked up to see Tobio’s expression. 

He looked deep in thought. 

“So you stopped running after that?” Kakeru smiled bitterly. 

“I could never stop running, I loved it too much. But, I told myself I would always run alone after that incident. I didn’t want to ruin a team like that again.” 

“Haiji-san changed your mind?” 

“He sure did.” Kakeru chuckled. “I couldn’t get away from him.” 

“I feel that.” Tobio muttered. 

“That shorty doesn’t leave you alone?” Tobio nodded. 

“We’re always together.” Tobio stopped and realized what he said too late. A light blush came to his cheeks and Kakeru just sat there for a second, thinking. 

_ So that’s how it is.  _

Kakeru smiled and stood up.

“If you ever want to talk about something you can ask me anything, but Hinata seems like a good friend, I’d confide in him too.” 

“I had some stuff that happened in middle school. Hinata knows some things, but not the whole story.” Tobio looked conflicted about something and Kakeru guessed he had a similar experience to Kakeru’s. 

“Well, you don't have to tell him now, but I’m sure whenever you decide to tell him he’ll listen to you.” Tobio nodded and the corners of his mouth barely moved up to form a small smile. They got up, grabbed their plates and headed into the kitchen. 

When they entered, they saw Haiji and Hinata talking quietly about something. Haiji heard them and turned around. 

“Oh! Kakeru you’re just in time. You can go Hinata, Kakeru and I can finish up.” Hinata nodded and ran towards Tobio, taking him by the arm and running out. 

Kakeru took over the drying and they were both silent for a bit before Kakeru spoke up. 

“What were you guys talking about.” Haiji didn’t respond at first and just stopped washing. He looked deep in thought and Kakeru waited next to him. 

“Well, he started asking me about running, what I loved about it, and one thing led to another and I ended up telling him about my injury.” Kakeru’s eyes widened and he stared at Haiji.

Haiji was smiling lightly and looked up at Kakeru.

“He was a good listener and didn’t give me any pity. He just said that I was strong and he’s glad he got to see me race.” Kakeru mirrored Haiji’s smile, remembering Haiji telling him that calling a runner strong was the greatest compliment they could get. 

“I just hope your cousin realizes how amazing he is.” Kakeru chuckled.

“I think he’s slowly catching on.” They both laughed and went back to cleaning the kitchen. 

~

Kakeru and Haiji headed to their room in silence and walked in.

“Do you mind if I take a shower first?” Kakeru immediately said. Haiji didn’t seem to notice Kakeru’s urgency. 

“Sure.” He replied. Kakeru quickly grabbed his extra pair of clothes and briskly walked out of the room and into the bathroom. He took his clothes off and got into the shower. He let the water hit his face and sighed. Kakeru had to share a room with Haiji for a whole  _ week.  _ Sure, he’s lived right across from him, but at least there were doors then. 

Kakeru closed his eyes and leaned his head against the shower wall, letting the water fall down his back. He wasn’t sure how long this could go on. 

_ Maybe I should just tell him? _

He thought about that for a second, considering all the outcomes of him confessing to Haiji. Would he be disgusted? No, Haiji was too nice and would probably let him down nicely. Either way, there was no possibility Haiji liked him in the same way. 

Kakeru decided to keep it to himself. Haiji hasn’t figured it out and Kakeru planned to keep it that way. 

~

Kakeru was really confused and questioning everything at this point. 

He was currently trying to sleep, but was failing since there were two arms wrapped around his waist and a head buried into the crook of his neck. Kakeru was blushing furiously and wide awake. 

Since Hinata was using the spare tatami mat, Kakeru and Haiji were stuck with one bed. They argued for a while, Kakeru saying Haiji needed the bed for his knee and Haiji countering it with saying Kakeru was in training and he couldn’t “let the nation's best runner sleep on the floor”. 

In the end, neither of them were letting up and Haiji grabbed Kakeru’s wrist, pulling him into the bed. Kakeru could’ve shown they went to bed without touching, but when he woke up a few hours later Haiji was clutching him and wouldn’t let go. 

He laid there for twenty minutes, wondering if he should wake Haiji up. He seemed really comfortable and Kakeru didn’t think he could handle seeing Haiji’s face right now. He lightly sighed and decided to give up and try to actually get some sleep. 

Kakeru tried to move as little as possible as he flipped his position and faced Haiji. He wrapped his arms around him and felt Haiji shift a little as well, settling his head on Kakeru’s chest and tangling their legs together even more. Kakeru sucked in a breath, afraid he was gonna wake up. After a few moments Haiji was breathing deeply again and Kakeru relaxed. He then closed his eyes, letting the gentle breathing of Haiji lull him to sleep. 

~

Kakeru woke up with the sun streaming through the windows and onto his face. He brings his arm over his eyes to block the sun and his other arm flops over the other side of the bed. Kakeru then realizes Haiji’s not there. He rubs his eyes and wonders if last night was a dream and he didn’t actually cuddle with Haiji. The sunlight hitting his face and arms felt warm and he laid there for a while thinking of his dream. His arms wrapped around Haiji and settling onto his lower back, Haiji’s head tucked into his chest. 

_ It felt too real.  _ He smiled softly as his heart tightened in his chest. Kakeru didn’t know how much longer he could keep this a secret. 

He got up and walked out of the room, heading towards the kitchen. As he got closer he heard voices. 

_ Hinata and Kageyama must be up as well.  _

Kakeru got closer and was about to enter than came to an abrupt stop as he heard what question Hinata just asked. 

“Are you and Kakeru dating?” Kakeru tried to keep silent as he internally freaked out over what Hinata just asked. He stayed quiet and in his place because he wanted to hear what Haiji responded with though. 

“Hmm.” Kakeru heard Haiji speak and could guess that he was in deep thought over this. 

Wait, why was he thinking so hard? Why weren’t the first words that came out of his mouth “no”? 

“Well, I guess we aren’t dating.” Kakeru thought that was a strange way to put it but he pushed his hopes down and turned around. 

“We’ve haven’t asked each other to be boyfriends yet.” Kakeru just about choked on air but then remembered he had to keep silent. There was no way he could casually walk in now. 

He walked back to the room as quietly as he could and shut the door. He flopped onto the bed, grabbed a pillow, and screamed into it. When he pulled his face out his hair was a mess and his face extremely red. 

“What the  _ hell  _ did Haiji mean by that.” He whispered to himself. 

Kakeru needed to get away and clear his mind, because now he was thinking that last night was definitely not a dream. 

_ Screw breakfast.  _ Kakeru quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt and headed out the room. He bumped into Tobio in the hall who looked like he had just woken up. So it was just Hinata and Haiji in the kitchen. Kakeru felt relieved that he had not heard that conversation. Tobio looked at him lazily. 

“You’re going for a run already?” He nodded and continued down the hall, only to be intercepted again. Haiji stood in front of him and sighed. 

“I guessed you were gonna go for a run, but Hinata and I made breakfast!” Haiji pointed towards Hinata who waved and held up a plate of something that smelled delicious. Kakeru felt a bit guilty cause it looked like Hinata was really proud of the food he made. Haiji seemed to notice his troubled expression and started to take off his apron. 

“Hinata, you and Kageyama can go ahead and eat without us. Is it ok if I borrow your bike?” Hinata nodded and Haiji smiled. He started walking towards the door and put his shoes on. He turned his head around and looked at Kakeru. 

“You coming?” Kakeru knew there was no convincing Haiji to let him run on his own, he’s sure he had a list of excuses piled up. He walked over and put his shoes on and him and Haiji walked out the door. 

~

The first part of the run was silent and Kakeru was starting to think Haiji wasn’t gonna say anything and simply wanted to go on a slow bike ride. He was grateful for the silence and briefly closed his eyes, calming himself down. He took deep breaths in and out, lengthening his stride and letting the wind fly by him. Kakeru was still aware of Haiji next to him, but he didn’t mind now. He could feel it in his legs, that need to go faster. These runs were his favorite, when his whole body felt light and the wind was a small breeze brushing by him. The countryside air felt much better than when he was in Tokyo and they haven’t met many cars as well. 

_ This is going to be a nice week.  _

“The view here is nice, right?” Kakeru snapped out of his thoughts and his breath snagged for a second. He glanced at Haiji, who was biking on his right, and saw that he was looking straight forward at the scenery in front of them. The corners of his mouth were slightly lifted and Kakeru nodded as he looked back in front of him. 

It dawned on him that Haiji wasn’t looking at him and obviously didn’t see him nod. Kakeru mentally slapped himself and took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Haiji wasn’t wrong. They had reached the top of a hill and were now flat on top of it, looking down on the countryside and seeing the sun slowly covering all the houses and trees. 

They were nearing the point where the road started to go down and Kakeru soaked in as much of the view as he could before they would go down. 

“I like you.” 

Kakeru choked on his air and slowed down to a stop, clutching his chest. He felt like he could pass out. Had those words really just come out of Haiji’s mouth? What was happening? 

Kakeru looked up and realized that was a big mistake. Haiji was right in front of him, leaning on the bike and smiling softly at him. He sucked in a breath and quickly looked to the side, his face burning. Kakeru felt like he could die. His heart was beating faster now, more than when he was running, and his breathing was very irregular. He couldn’t get a deep breath and his whole body felt like it was on fire. 

“Y-you…” He finally found his voice and took a deep breath in. His back straightened and he looked at Haiji, his face still flushed and eyes wide. 

“You like me.” Haiji smiled even wider and chuckled. 

“Yes I believe that’s what I said.” Kakeru turned an even darker shade of red and was trying to comprehend everything. Haiji liked him. Haiji liked him  _ back.  _

He was overjoyed and couldn’t stop the smile that was appearing on his face. Overwhelmed with emotions and most likely on a runner’s high as well, Kakeru took one step forward and gently grabbed Haiji’s shoulders. Haiji quietly gasped at the sudden contact and was cut off when Kakeru’s lips touched his. 

It was hesitant at first, their lips just brushing each other, but then Haiji moved forward as well and there was no more remaining space. Haiji’s hands moved up to cup Kakeru’s face and Kakeru slid his hands down from Haiji’s shoulders to his waist. 

They stayed that way for a while, lips connected and holding each other. 

Haiji made the first move, all the sudden moving his lips and biting Kakeru’s bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth. He gasped at Haiji’s actions and when he opened his mouth Haiji’s tongue snuck in. It started exploring Kakeru’s mouth and he let out a moan against Haiji. He felt Haiji’s smile against his mouth as his tongue left Kakeru’s mouth and he gave him a quick kiss on the lips. 

They were still holding each other when Haiji started speaking.

“So, this means you like me back right?” He grinned and Kakeru let out a small breath, his lips swollen and face flushed. 

“What do you think?” Kakeru said dryly and took his hands off Haiji, stepping away from him. “Of course I like you.” He said quietly and started to run again. 

It only took Haiji a second to realize what Kakeru had mumbled and got on the bike, peddling to catch up with him. 

**Author's Note:**

> appledog44478 on twitter or tumblr if you wanna talk to me about whatever


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